Traditional owners strike gold in the Mid West

After eight months of negotiations, the traditional land owners reached a deal with Minjar Gold over a 14-hundred square kilometre area of land, east of Geraldton.

The deal is designed to protect Badimia heritage and will ensure that 10 per cent of the company's workforce are traditional owners.

Badimia Working Group Chairman Reg Yates says the agreement means a great deal to traditional owners.

"It means a lot because not only are you working on your own land, you're there you can see if there are any issues that arise from mining companies contravening tradition areas," he says.

"So to be actively involved is very good because it means that the people not only get an economical base from it but also develop their own sense of pride in themselves as people working on their own property, their own land."

The traditional owner says the agreement will create solid foundations for future generations.

"It gives an impetus to move forward and to also look for jobs within the industry," he says.

"So I think long term it's going to be of great value to not only me but my kids and my kids' kids."

The Yamatji Marlpa Corporation is the representative body that helped progress the agreement.

CEO Simon Hawkins says an Aboriginal Liaison Officer will also be employed through the agreement.

He says the agreement has both financial and cultural benefits for traditional owners.

"It means that it's a chance to share in the prosperity of the mine as well as having employment and contracting opportunities for the community, which means the Badimia people can diversify their own business interests," he says.

"It gives a great opportunity for the Badamia people to develop not only their own sort of contracting opportunities or employment directly at the mine site but to also have compensation payments that can address other issues within the community."

"And critical to the Badamia people is obviously Badamia heritage and the protection of significant sites."